Why it works: Lemon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Broiled Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean and wash the chicken, then split it down the back and wipe it dry.
Season the chicken inside with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
Grill
Place the chicken inside down on a hot grill over bright coals.
Broil until nicely browned and cooked through, turning to prevent burning.
Broil thin slices of salt pork alongside the chicken.
Finish and serve
After removing from the grill, work plenty of butter into the chicken.
Serve garnished with the pork, lemon slices, and parsley.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Chicken + porktop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,417 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + porktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken
- Provides the main protein, which browns and firms as it cooks over the coals.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the cooked meat.
- Salt pork
- Renders fat and adds savory flavor as it broils alongside the chicken.
The step that matters
Turning the chicken while broiling. Turning the chicken regularly lets heat cook it evenly and prevents the skin and surface from scorching before the inside is cooked through over the direct heat of the coals.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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